Aid in Action
ROADS Leverages Resources to Reduce Food and Economic Insecurity
Kenya Government Pledges Maize Seed to AIDS-Affected Households
Malaba, Kenya
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Sunday, April 01, 2007
Photo: Robert Ritzenthaler
Members of the Malaba People Living with HIV/AIDS Cluster pose with maize seeds donated by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry provided one ton of certified seeds to complement agricultural training at LifeWorks Shamba.
The Regional Outreach Addressing HIV through Development Strategies (ROADS) development approach recognizes food and economic insecurity as major drivers of the AIDS epidemic. To enhance food and economic security, and therefore reduce vulnerability to HIV, ROADS partner Appropriate Grassroots Interventions conducts field days at LifeWorks Shamba, the project’s 8.5-acre demonstration farm in Malaba, Kenya. Since the farm was launched in May 2006, ROADS has organized 12 field days to train Kenyan and Ugandan People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), youth and low-income women on modern agricultural techniques that can be replicated at home. Participants learn about land preparation, horticulture, crop rotation, water and pest management, harvesting, food storage and preservation. Through Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance, funded by USAID, participants also learn food preparation techniques that maintain nutritious content.
Recognizing the impact of the farm in improving yields in Teso District, the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture asked to co-host a field day with ROADS. The event took place in March 2007 and attracted 2,000 people, including vulnerable farmers living with HIV and AIDS. Acknowledging the link between food security and HIV prevention, care and treatment, the Permanent Secretary pledged to contribute one ton of certified maize seeds to the PLHA cluster. These were delivered to AIDS-affected households in April 2007, following a contribution of 15 tons of fertilizer by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.